Page 5 of Delivered to My Beasts (Mail-Order Matings #22)

Imogen

They lived in the mountains. In his reply, one of them, Crew, had given me their location.

The range lay about an hour past the town where I’d shopped the day before, which was about an hour from where we lived.

The fact that some other people had heard of the Beasts had me hoping they were closer than that because I didn’t have my own car, and when I borrowed one from the pack, I had to tell someone why.

And when I’d be back, meaning, I needed an excuse to be gone long enough to get where I was going before someone looked for me.

At least I wasn’t hungry for once. Before all the females flooded our home to help cook, I’d lived on a very modest diet.

My father felt females should be slender, and he made sure my portions kept me that way.

Mateo shared his opinion and had mentioned he’d be having me weigh in every Sunday once we were mated.

Something else he’d wanted to start sooner, but Father had taken umbrage at the suggestion he couldn’t control his own daughter.

What the hell had I been thinking?

Letting men like them make choices for me? Had my mother been at all aware of how this would go after she passed? Had she been shielding us the whole time?

Standing, I moved deeper into the forest, typing as I went.

The Beasts wondered if they could video chat with me, but I didn’t have time to learn how to do that if my pretty-basic phone even had the ability.

So I declined on that. Then they suggested a visit to me—yeah, like that would even be possible.

But the idea of a visit could work, as long as it went in the other direction.

They were only a couple of hours away, but was that far enough to suggest more than just a day trip?

It was going to have to be. If they didn’t like me once we met, maybe they’d let me stay long enough to get my feet under me and decide where to go from there. Maybe I could find a job by applying online. Time was not my friend, but I needed some badly.

How about if I come to see you? I have a week free…if that’s good?

If they said no, I had no plan B.

I kept moving, clutching my phone like a lucky charm, waiting for a reply, my throat tight, breathing harsh in my ears, and Mateo’s voice calling after me. Dammit.

“Say something!” I hissed, clapping my free hand over my mouth to keep from giving myself away. He was following me, but he had not sped up or shifted to catch me. Yet.

We’d love that. When can you come?

Now. I pivoted on a heel, shoved my phone into my pocket, grabbed something else out, and headed back the way I’d come. Sure enough, Mateo met me a few minutes later, his scowl evidence of his displeasure at being ignored.

“Where have you been?” he demanded.

“What?” I looked around, trying to appear innocent and confused.

“Don’t say you didn’t hear me calling you?”

“Hang on.” I reached up and pulled the earbuds from my ears, grateful I’d remembered I had them with me. “What did you say?”

His eyes narrowed. “Think you’re sneaky, don’t you?” he snarled. “Where did you think you were going?”

“I came for a walk on our own lands. Is that not allowed anymore?” Pulling out my phone, I glanced at the screen. “I had an hour free before I needed to get to town, so I thought I’d get in some steps, exercise? Haven’t you suggested I should watch my figure?” You asshole.

Reaching out, he grabbed the earbuds from my palm. “I’ll take those to make sure you don’t get distracted and miss me calling you.”

“Why did you want me, anyway?” Suppressing my anger at his stealing something I’d saved so long to buy and used to keep my sanity when I just needed peace, I reminded myself I’d be out of here in an hour or less, if I kept my wits about me.

“I heard from Rosamund at the bridal shop.” A name she’d taken on when she opened the store. Her name was Phyllis, I’d heard from the pack she belonged to, about twenty miles away. “She said you had a temper tantrum and destroyed your wedding dress. Anything you want to tell me?”

I gasped, looking as horrified as I could manage.

“Is that what Phy…Rosamund said? That’s not true at all.

She was helping me into it and saying the most awful things.

Claiming you were not true to me and didn’t love me at all, then she just shredded it off me and stomped on it.

I didn’t know what to do, so I ran crying. ”

“What?”

“You do love me, don’t you?” I’d never claimed to believe that before, but it was my only hope, to make him believe it.

“I know we’ve had our differences, but…to claim a mate would be, and I quote ‘sniffing around’ other females the day after our mating?

I couldn’t…I thought once we mated, we’d be a power couple, supporting and caring for one another. ”

Thank the goddess for vanity. Which Mateo had in spades. “You would not lie to me.”

“No.” Only every chance I got. “And maybe I was avoiding you today because I’ve been trying to find another dress.

Not from her, which makes it hard here in the sticks.

” I rested a hand on his chest, swallowing the bile that the contact brought into my throat.

“Mateo, I was so scared. You will be true to me, right? I’ll be your luna, and your greatest supporter, as will be my duty. ”

“I’ll take you to find a dress,” he asserted. “And I’ll deal with Phyllis.” He did know her real name. “Let’s go.” We walked hand in hand back to the alpha house, but when we got there, I pulled free.

“I just realized. You can’t come with me to see the dress before the ceremony.

Matings it doesn’t matter, but I’ve been reading all about weddings, and the groom cannot see the bride in the dress or even the gown on a hanger.

It’s a firm rule.” Never mind the fact he’d picked out the one I destroyed.

“Then what will you do?” This might be our first civil conversation. What a shame. If I’d realized how much I could play on his vanity, I might not have been so afraid to marry him. Of course, if that were the case, I would be living a lie and being a person I’d grow to despise.

“I told you I’ve been searching. That’s what I was doing on my phone, just now.

The thrift store in town has a dress I like.

Brand new, tags still on it,” I hurried to say, knowing his pride might not allow me to wear something used in case someone recognized it.

“My size. You are so very busy with everything you have to do, getting ready to take over the pack.”

“Your father has mismanaged it for years,” he agreed.

“Sure. I’ll just borrow one of the cars and dash into town to get the dress.” I rose on tiptoe and whispered, “I think they have something for our wedding night as well. The clerk is holding it for me to see. Very see-through.”

Nudity mattered not at all ordinarily to shifters, since we all saw one another naked when we stripped, but when I guessed sheer fabric would be a hit with this male?

“I’ll have one of the betas bring a car to the kitchen door for you. You don’t want them to drive you? A luna should have a driver I think.”

“Oh no, you know how those males are. They will tell you all about my dress and ruin everything.” I tried to look excited. “I can’t wait to go!” That much was true.

He smiled at me. “Do you have enough money?”

I let my face fall. “I didn’t ask the price. Oh my gosh I don’t know.”

The bastard gave me cash.